Applied Biosystems Announces Early-Access Program For Its Next-Generation Sequencing Platform.

Leader in DNA Sequencing Ships First SOLiD[TM] Systems

FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the launch of the early-access program for its next-generation DNA sequencing system. The company said that it has shipped initial units of its SOLiD[TM] System to leading research institutions that include Stanford University, and has begun accepting orders from other customers.

The SOLiD platform, based on sequencing by oligonucleotide ligation and detection, is Applied Biosystems' next-generation system for ultra high-throughput DNA analysis. Unlike polymerase sequencing approaches, the SOLiD System utilizes a proprietary technology called stepwise ligation, which generates high quality data for applications such as whole genome sequencing, medical sequencing, genotyping, gene expression and small RNA discovery.

The promise of next-generation sequencing technology is to broaden the applications of genomic information in medical research and health care, reduce the cost of DNA sequencing without sacrificing quality, and enable discoveries that may revolutionize the practice of medicine.

Applied Biosystems acquired prototype technology for next-generation sequencing from Agencourt Personal Genomics in July 2006 and has rapidly developed the SOLiD System. In less than a year, Applied Biosystems has increased sample throughput 5-fold and base read length by 66%, resulting in a system that is expected to accelerate advances in medical research, health care and other life science applications.

Applied Biosystems is developing applications for the SOLiD System in collaboration with leading academic and research institutions that include Stanford, Broad Institute, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Joint Genome Institute, University of Queensland (Australia), and Washington University among others. This development process has resulted in one of the most advanced ultra high-throughput next generation sequencing platforms. The SOLiD System is distinguished by the following attributes:

* The SOLiD System features 2-base encoding, a proprietary mechanism that interrogates each base twice for errors during sequencing. The application of 2-base encoding rules during analysis removes measurement errors resulting in high accuracy sequence data.

* The SOLiD System can generate more than one gigabase of useable data per run, which makes it one of the highest throughput next-generation sequencing systems. A gigabase is a measure that is the equivalent of one-third of the human genome, which contains 3 billion bases of DNA.

* The SOLiD System's high accuracy, combined with mate-pair analysis, enables detection of sequence variation including, SNPS (single nucleotide polymorphisms), gene copy number variations, single base duplications, inversions, insertions and deletions. Mate-pair sample preparation is a method that enables highly accurate sequence assembly required for the analysis of complex genomes such as human, mouse and other model organisms. Combined with high accuracy, mate-pair analysis provides scientists with a flexible system that performs a variety of different applications, including gene expression studies for the detection of low-expressed genes, which are invisible on hybridization arrays.

* The SOLiD System is designed to accommodate future sequencing applications. Adaptable to bead enrichment, the SOLiD platform can be scaled to support a higher density of sequence per slide. This provides the infrastructure for performing more complex genome studies as they are undertaken.

"We have made rapid progress in developing the SOLiD System, which we believed had the best commercial viability among more than 40 next-generation sequencing technologies we evaluated," said Mark P. Stevenson, president for Applied Biosystems' molecular and cell biology division. "We will continue to work with our customers and collaborators to further refine the system and develop the breadth of applications for what we believe will be the life-science community's platform of choice for both current and future DNA analysis projects."

Scientists at Stanford University have been using results generated on the SOLiD System to better understand complex biological processes. Dr. Arend Sidow, Ph.D., an associate professor at Stanford School of Medicine, has analyzed 282 megabases of aligned sequence data generated by the SOLiD System. Dr. Sidow was able to create a high-resolution map of nucleosome positioning in C. elegans (round worm), a model organism in the study of biological processes. The location of nucleosomes - tightly wound packing units of DNA - is thought to affect gene expression and provide insights into important regulatory mechanisms such as DNA transcription.

"I believe the SOLiD System technology has the potential to deliver real breakthroughs in any application of sequencing aimed at understanding biological functions in complex genomes," said Dr. Sidow. "After evaluating a number of potential technologies, we look forward to applying this ultra high-throughput technology to projects such as targeted resequencing of cancer genes and other medically relevant research."

In a microbial sequencing project, Dr. George Weinstock, Ph.D., co-director at the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine, first sequenced a strain of Escherichia coli using Sanger sequencing technologies. He then used the SOLiD System to resequence the genome for validation of the assembly. The SOLiD System read pair data identified a large duplication that had been missed in the assembly of the Sanger sequences.

"The mate-pair technology in the SOLiD System will enable us to generate highly accurate sequence data for infectious disease pathogens and other microbes," said Dr. Weinstock. "In our future efforts, we will continue to correlate phenotypes with genotypes of bacteria that have closely related genomes. For this research, we look forward to next-generation sequencing technologies capable of identifying all kinds of genetic variation that may occur between different species."

Dr. Elaine Mardis, Ph.D., director of technology development and co-director at the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University School of Medicine is an expert in the development of DNA sequencing technology. She is responsible for the many procedures and high-throughput automated systems currently in use at the Genome Sequencing Center.

"We are very enthusiastic about being an early access site for the Applied Biosystems SOLiD System," said Dr. Mardis. "Early access to the SOLiD System will enable us to evaluate this very important next-generation sequencing platform, and to develop key applications that capitalize on the strengths of this system. Early access to this system will perpetuate our long and productive relationship with Applied Biosystems."

Applied Biosystems is a global leader in the development and commercialization of instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services for the life-science market. The company commercialized the technology that helped scientists to sequence the human genome. By developing the SOLiD System, Applied Biosystems continues its leadership in DNA sequencing by commercializing technology that helps scientists to better understand and treat disease based on genomic information. Further information about the SOLiD System is available at http://solid.appliedbiosystems.com

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries and develop new pharmaceuticals. Applied Biosystems' products also serve the needs of some markets outside of life science research, which we refer to as "applied markets," such as the fields of: human identity testing (forensic and paternity testing); biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response to the threat of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental, and natural biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, for example in food and the environment. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of over $1.9 billion during fiscal 2006. The Celera Group is primarily a molecular diagnostics business that is using proprietary genomics and proteomics discovery platforms to identify and validate novel diagnostic markers, and is developing diagnostic products based on these markers. Celera maintains a strategic alliance with Abbott Laboratories for the development and commercialization of molecular, or nucleic acid-based, diagnostic products, and it is also developing new diagnostic products outside of this alliance. Through its genomics and proteomics research efforts, Celera is also discovering and validating therapeutic targets, and it is seeking to develop therapeutic products based on these discovered targets through strategic partnerships. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800.762.6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.

Applied Biosystems Forward Looking Statements

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(c)Copyright 2007. Applied Biosystems. All rights reserved. AB (Design), ABI PRISM, Applied Biosystems, Applera and Celera are registered trademarks and SOLiD is a trademark of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.